HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
I bet we wouldn't be having this problem if Letrizia had more than a few thousand words of screen time!
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
HoratioVonBecker
Imperfectly Aligned
Hey @Orm Embar, is Thresholder literally just a mostly-defanged Doom of the Culling, in the same way the Procession is a rebalanced Indenture?
- Location
- washington
So did you guys ever hunt the armament fish?
Yep. Pursuit to the Utmost through The Rage of War, from decision to aftermath.
- Location
- Peterborough, NH, USA
Antinarrator CYOA: No SV, You Are The Hostile Cosmic Entity
Once a human possessed of ISH 5 control over Time, who used it for little besides winning singing competitions(and occasionally comebacks), he was a victim of shards of his evil future self's power sent backwards in time, and Corrupted. Through a series of timeline jumps, he was merged with several other versions of himself, resulting in a being 8 times as powerful as his Corrupted self. Though this is mostly relevant when facing ISH 5.0 entities. Specialized in Time, narrative(plot armor levels are excessive without counters in place), song, and corruption.
General Corruption abilities, applicable to all Corrupted minions in addition to The Antinarrator proper, unless otherwise noted:
Corrupted Directive: All but the strongest of wills, such as Hunger, will be fully enslaved once the Corruption has run it's course. Even those who have the will to resist will find that attempted self-destruction will only damage their Corrupted shell slightly, and without outside aid this is temporary at best. Usually it can only be done when the stress of combat loosens the Corruption's control in the first place. Repeated escape attempts will risk damage to the mind, resulting in Insanity. This is best described as Madness Enhancement. Dramatically stronger as they are no longer fighting the Corruption, but a threat to anyone around them who gets in their way, even other Corrupted.
By Touch Or By Sound: Physical contact is dangerous with the Corrupted, just as being able to hear them means you are at risk. Indeed, high-level Corrupted will use strings to restrain their targets specifically to combine the two vectors. Most entities even metaphorically alive can be Corrupted. Animals, AI, videogame characters, even vehicles like cars and planes.
Stronger With Age: Corrupted grow stronger with time. This is most notable with The Antinarrator via his abuse of Time, but it applies to all Corrupted. It is similar to Might's Repose, but active at all times. This is reset if they're freed. The baseline empowerment from the moment of enslavement is X2.5.
The Power of Ganging Up On People: Corrupted grow stronger with numbers. That is, each Corrupted individual claimed makes every Corrupted stronger. This does carry the risk of death spirals if too many losses are taken.
Evolved Evil: Each time someone is partially or fully freed and then Corrupted again, they enjoy a 50% power boost, multiplicatively. The Corruption has been known to play possum to deliberately take advantage of this.
Vile Empowerment: While it must be applied directly by The Antinarrator, a 50% power boost is nothing to scoff at.
Nexus Form: In return for the loss of Corruption capabilities, and Highly Draining stamina costs, offensive abilities are dramatically heightened, often including unique abilities. A common human gunman might gain crystalline Buster swords and energy blasts, but would collapse within a few minutes. If combined with a Vile form, the Maniac form retains both the Vile powerup and Corruption abilities.
Any other abilities are quirks absorbed from other shards of your power sent back to the past, subordinated outside corruption types, or evolutions acquired from strange circumstances.
Now you seek to assault the wider Verse, amassing more and more Corrupted as you attempt to reach farther and farther.
You possess 4 Plagues of the Past, 2 Looming Dooms, and 1 Absolute Apocalypse to determine what shape this takes.
Subordinated Corruptions:
[ ] Hate - 1 Looming Doom.
The physical embodiment of hatred, deepest black which quickly stains the host, suppressing positive emotions and amplifying negative ones to craft omnicidal maniacs. The Antinarrator proved immune partially because personality death can be considered death, and partially because their own directive overrode Hate's. Multiplies physical/magical power of anyone infected with it by ten, and provides healing sufficient to regrow limbs in seconds. Additionally, gain access to 8 Magic types, affinity dependent on one's personality. Determination(generalist), Bravery(raw offense and explosives), Justice(sheer volume of fire and trick shots up to and including changing direction mid-air), Kindness(shields and healing spells applicable to self or others), Patience(bindings and time manipulation), Integrity(general constructs and gravity manipulation), Perseverance(physical self-buffs and endurance, may continue to act after dying for some time with sufficient mastery) and Fear(illusions, ability to see past of targets to find their emotional weakpoints, can steal control of enemy magic while continuing to drain the magical energy with Draining ability) may all be used by any host, but some will be stronger based on their affinity. Kindly individuals are normally resistant or immune, but the Corruption bypasses this.
A subordinate types capable of directly afflicting souls, much like The Antinarrator's own Corruption.
[ ] The Glitch - 1 Looming Doom.
A strange substance of unknown origins, but not beyond the Antinarrator's ability to control. Those infected are forced into unsettling smiles, leak and are usually surrounded by the same glitchy black substance, and are compelled to drag anyone they find into it. Injuries will be less healed and more 'reset' like an earlier save state, via diving back into the Glitch. X5 enhancement is to be found, mostly by virtue of excessively warped forms allowing for ordinarily impossible feats and stress will usually cause a more monstrous and powerful form to manifest, though the real issue lies in the fact killing the infected is almost impossible, and physical contact is incredibly hazardous. Capable of creating semi-intelligent 'floods' of Glitch that will seek out any uninfected individuals, able to rise to skyscraper heights with ease. Has a special affinity for AI and machines, meaning it could be considered the anti-Artifice Corruption.
[ ] Chaorupption - 1 Looming Doom.
A corruptive manifestation of Chaos. Mutates and drives to varying degrees of insanity anyone afflicted by it, but is not actually evil. Indeed, this form is the result of a Champion of Order falling to Chaos and imposing their view of it. Regardless, provides a X10 powerup, and Chaos is capable of infection of everything from bears, to trees, to water and food, even magic can be affected. Slinging spells that risk Chaos corruption if they land is not unheard of, nor is poisoning of a city's water supply to cause an outbreak of Chaos corrupted.
Chaos is also incredibly difficult to cure. Hate can be removed or tamed, as can The Glitch, freeing Corrupted is simple enough if you can overpower them, and freed Corrupted have been known to manifest something referred to as a Soul persona, but Chaos has only a handful of rare cures. It is generally easier to kill the afflicted and then bring them back to life in unafflicted bodies.
In addition, Chaos is connected to The Void, allowing for easy cross-universe and even multiverse travel.
[ ] Nightmare Mode - 1 Looming Doom.
A form with eyes blazing in a color, their body in a very dark version of that color, unlocked by extreme negative emotion in close proximity to an interdimensional rift of some kind. The standout example is Nightmare Mode Sans, who went from his canon self to a being capable of destroying Save Points and permanently killing the human. It still required his knowledge of space and time, as well as the negativity of a Genocide Run and having a pretty good idea how Reset worked and thus what that meant for him and his, and even then months went into it.
Funnily enough, an alternate version of The Antinarrator's girlfriend from his old life is the prime Nightmare granting these forms, which does suggest that there is a simpler mechanism for transmission.
In short, an enormously unwieldy form of Corruption, but an enormously powerful one. If Hate is taken to ensure negative emotions, or Chaos to use it's connection to The Void, the process is significantly eased. If both are taken, is dramatically eased.
Benefits:
[ ] Sun's Corruption - 1 Plague of the Past.
A shard that, interestingly, ended up infesting the stars of that universe. The sun the original self's planet orbited went supernova as a result, but scattered Corruption across the planet instead of destroying it. Corrupted emit heat, often literally being on fire, and have pyromantic abilities. This aids them in facing their targets, causing them feverish symptoms and being able to use flame against them. The stars in the sky may now be Corrupted, becoming vectors of Corruption, and Corrupted gain access to pyromantic powers.
[ ] Moon's Corruption - 1 Plague of the Past.
A shard that afflicted the moon, breaking it. The resulting Moonfall afflicted many with the Corruption. Corrupted gain an affinity for water and ice, being able to use it against their opponents and often having parts of their body encased in ice. Moons may be treated as targets, as in Sun's Corruption.
Synergizes with Sun's Corruption to allow for extreme temperature modulation and control over ice and flame.
[ ] Earth's Corruption - 1 Plague of the Past.
A shard that drove a manifestation of the planet's will into madness. Proper planets may now be treated as infection vectors. The more nature is present, the more extreme this becomes. Corrupted gain control over nature, particularly plants. Corrupted will often have vines and the like growing on them.
[ ] Enhanced - 1 Plague of the Past.
All Corrupted gain a unique ability, including The Antinarrator. A bounty hunter might gain the ability to always know the location of a single designated target. This can be anything from reviving the dead to pyromancy. Do note that if the ability would be made redundant by another Benefit/Corruption, they will stack.
[ ] Intelligent Corrupted - 1 Plague of the Past.
Normal Corrupted, outside of the Antinarrator(and potentially the Anticoder) will lack much in the way of higher functions. They won't be able to use doorknobs, and may attack chain-link fences, but this shard manifested as a spell used in war to control inanimate objects, which involved giving them a degree of higher function to carry out their tasks. This will also cause Corrupted to manifest semblances of personality, but it will be little more than a mask. The virus mindlessly propagating is it's true face.
[ ] Standard Wicked - 1 Plague of the Past.
Rather than being restricted to duplicating his own soul, the Antinarrator may instead copy the soul of anyone who is Corrupted, immediately doubling their power, and stacking with any other powerups like Vile(X2X1.5=X3), though he still requires the original soul's existence. A Corrupted helicopter will not benefit.
[ ] Kats - 1 Plague of the Past.
A cat-like animal one centimeter long. Their numbers are insane, and they are able to squeeze into places rats wish they could get into. Dramatically increases number of Corrupted, and thus general Corrupted power, and infiltration abilities. Quite a few supposed refuges will be doomed by a Kat slipping into someone's pocket and lying in wait until they could find someone isolated to Corrupt.
[ ] Vile Spread - 1 Plague of the Past.
Allow Vile individuals to spread their boost, automating the process.
[ ] I Am You, And You Are Me - 1 Looming Doom.
Upon Corruption of an individual, they will gain a conceptual bonus against their counterpart in other timelines and Alternate Universes, dependent on how similar they are. If they're essentially the same person, the Corrupted would be guaranteed victory. If they're practically entirely different people who happen to share the same name, the benefit will be minor. Dramatically eases spreading throughout a given multiverse.
[ ] Corrupted Monoliths - 1 Looming Doom.
An emitter, of sorts, for your will. Imagine a Cadian pylon in reverse, for the Corruption. This allows your holdings to gain benefits similar to a Damonworld, such as absolute control over them in your presence. Allows for general low-tier reality-warping such as massive shifts to the entire planet's climate and terrain and even it's shape and size available to rando Corrupted even if they ordinarily wouldn't possess any such capabilities.
[ ] The Odious Antinarrator - 1 Absolute Apocalypse.
There is a rule that there cannot be more than one of The Antinarrator, perhaps due to specific quirks of his merger. However, The Antinarrator was formed of a very specific confluence of events.
The Corruption subsumed his original self across various timelines, resulting in two of note. In both of these timelines, a spirit trapped in a video game because of it's dangerously powerful nature faced the digitized soul of his original self. In the Resurgence timeline, the spirit succeeded in freeing him, but another Corrupted shot them as they were leaving the game, causing their remains to become fused into a spiritually charged glitchy pink ooze, moving to the nearest available host, the husk of his original self. Presumably this was possible due to The Antinarrator acting to ensure his own existence. In the Wicked timeline, the spirit attempted to use datamining to leave a copy of itself behind to fight the digitized soul copy, but accidentally copied the digitized soul instead, leading to a second instance of the same soul to fuse with the original, generating a fused entity.
From there, Wicked would jump timelines, seeking to prune all but his own, and met Resurgence. The Antinarrator would arise when the strain of the fight broke the fusion between Wicked's Corrupted half, and Glitch, the digitized duplicate soul. Resurgence forcibly absorbed Glitch, though he left his Corrupted counterpart from another timeline a consolation prize in the form of a Vile powerup, sickly pink crystals sprouting on the body to mark a 50% powerup.
Odious, however, was a result of Wicked keeping it together, and instead stealing 75% of the Resurgent ooze from Resurgence. As Wicked had two souls within already, this was enough to match The Antinarrator without the entirety of the spiritually charged slime while keeping the Husk animated, who was also granted a Vile boost. Additionally, being up a soul and down 25% of Resurgence's slime allowed him to not count as The Antinarrator. The two briefly became rivals, but, as is so often the case, pitting two monstrous opponents against each other merely led to a singular monster worse than before. Regardless of the victor, the winner absorbed the loser, becoming a new entity twice as powerful as before.
[ ] The Anticoder - 1 Absolute Apocalypse.
The Antinarrator's old girlfriend(presumably Wicked's, what with having a soul), raised up in a similar manner, though the third entity involved was different. Partners in their old life, and partners in this one. She specializes in Space, Magic, Artifice(data in particular), and corruption, complementing The Antinarrator very well as a technician to his performer. In addition, they possess synergies.
For example, The Antinarrator can produce copies of his original self's soul with ease, but needs a host for them, and random passerby will have random levels of affinity. The Anticoder can produce empty shells, not unlike Husk, with ease, but not souls for them. Together, they can deploy Wickeds as subordinates en masse.
May be taken a second time to fuse her with her Odious counterpart, Malicious, forming the Malicious Anticoder.
Drawbacks:
[ ] Purifying Sunlight - +1 Plague of the Past.
Normal sunlight slows the spread of Corruption, and weakens Corrupted. It is not insurmountable, but it can hand the enemy the win or allow them to escape if they learn to take advantage of it.
[ ] Purifying Moonlight - +1 Plague of the Past.
As above, but with moonlight.
[ ] Enmity of the Eyes - +1 Looming Doom.
A cosmic entity embodying every star in the universe. Having been befriended by someone you Corrupted, they've become an enemy of yours. They know they lack the power to contest you directly, so they work behind the scenes, aiding resistance cells and those about to succumb to Corruption.
[ ] Corruption Doesn't Mix - +1 Looming Doom.
Should you not select a subordinate Corruption type, it will be available for later obtainment. This Drawback negates that, making it so that any unselected types 'cure' your Corruption if Corrupted are afflicted with them, and vice versa.
[ ] The Manipulator - +1 Absolute Apocalypse.
A rival, rather than an opposing hero of some kind. He has subsumed several multiverses before this, and has set his sights on this one. He possesses his own variant of the Corruption. Rather than causing a black substance to coat the body, with the eyes, teeth, and sometimes hair lighting up pink to various degrees, The Manipulator's Corruption causes individuals to become dark grey and silver, with effects almost resembling video game characters. His Corrupted dislike coming out during the day, however, well beyond the Purifying Sunlight Drawback's effects.
The Manipulator is 5 times as strong as your baseline(that is, 2.5X8=20 times ISH 5.0) because there is always a bigger fish.
[ ] Narrator - +1 Absolute Apocalypse.
The Antinarrator's existence has caused some sort of metaphysical counterforce to raise up an opposite. His 'original self' empowered to stand as an equal. Equal mastery of Time, narrative, and song, and purification abilities counter to The Antinarrator's corruptive powers. Note that applies specifically to you. If the Odious Antinarrator Benefit is taken, he will scale to match, presumably by fusing with his Odious counterpart to become the Lemony Narrator. If the Anticoder Benefit is taken, he will not scale to match, though he is free to attempt to raise up his own counterforce, and if he realizes he's outmatched, will likely opt to lead resistance forces against you. May be taken a second time to generate Coder as an ally of his.
If chosen alongside The Manipulator, he could be convinced of the need to cooperate against an outside threat.
AN: A short one, but hopefully more successful than my previous attempt.
2930 words, discounting this line.
- Location
- Europe
Ineptitude V.2
[ ] Purifying Sunlight - +1 Plague of the Past.
[ ] Purifying Moonlight - +1 Plague of the Past.
[ ] Enmity of the Eyes - +1 Looming Doom.
[ ] Corruption Doesn't Mix - +1 Looming Doom.
[ ] Narrator - +1 Absolute Apocalypse.
[ ] Coder - +1 Absolute Apocalypse
Oh no, I've dropped all my benefits and accidentally picked up all these drawbacks. How clumsy of me. Let's hope my not that hateful and not that vile nemesis the Narrator won't take advantage of this terrible, terrible blunder on my part.
- Inveterate Gambler - Ineptitude
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- Location
- Peterborough, NH, USA
Technically valid, as the Coder will default to the baseline strength level of the Antinarrator/Narrator, and with a 2:1 advantage they'll thrash him because nobody else is strong enough to help him. Though if you really want to maximize their strength, take all the Corruption types and Anticoder. Eyes will boost Narrator and Coder, which they can probably finagle into sunlight because of what he is, and they'll edge out a victory. So, 20 times their baseline, *10 from Hate, *5 from the Glitch, *10 from Chaos, so 10,000 times their baseline plus Nightmare's undefined but massive powerup, but Narrator and Coder match that, so it's not helpful in beating them.
Well, the Corruption should be resolved in short order either way. The question is what the Coder and Narrator do afterward, since the reward for beating The Antinarrator is getting their lives back. I mean, they probably just go back to their old lives(even if they are now the undisputable top dogs of their setting and Ultra Instinct Shaggy might actually use a significant percentage of his power the next time he shows up to rap battle) and sing with people. Like, they mostly just used the Narrator/Antinarrator's time powers for winning singing battles before, because neither of them are very smart(though they're not incompetent, since other than the Time powers the original was basically a normal human, but could dodge machine-gun fire from nearly point-blank range) and they didn't really have any grand ambitions.
Probably just defend their setting from stuff like The Manipulator and finally get the approval of Coder's parents.
- Location
- Peterborough, NH, USA
So, I'm going to be adding My Reincarnation CYOA to the Gifted One, and the seeing about adding Morning. Admittedly, Directorate Sorcery and Ecumenical Leveling will be the only really important stuff, in part because DS can't be obtained outside of the insertion proper and it's basically the Mantle in terms of making all my stuff into a coherent powerset, and Leveling's learning boost is basically a Progression booster.
Let's start with the Reincarnation CYOA:
[ ] Unlocked Potential - 1 LSS. X3.
[ ] Proof of Existence - 1 LSS.
[ ] Progression Booster - 1 GSS. X2.
[ ] Domain - 1 Enlightened Empowerment. - +1 ISH to Magic/-1 ISH to hostile Magic.
+6 to All Stats and +18 to Con/End(150 total) for Progression Booster. ++++++Progression. X729 to Progression. That's notably superior to a normal Progression Type in growth rate. A day of study for me is about 2 years for anyone else, ignoring my ridiculous Statline and other Progression boosters.
My Proof of Existence is probably a book that turns pretty much everything into a method of training magic(like if you got everything from the Sparks of Possibility in Prototype), be that lazing about, combat, self-study, or being taught, while applying it's booster therein, so 72,900 times normal Progression.
+200% to the maximum heights of any skill, Magic System, or Combat Art I use, with a Stat doubled and added to another wherever Stats are applicable in studying such things. 72,900X 300(End/Con X2)= 2,187,000 times my previous Progression speed. Antinarrator is probably a non-factor with all that applied to what Gifted One was already bringing to the table, honestly.
Domain buff to Magic means Welkincraft, Wishcraft, Surgecraft, and Light have +2 ISH, since Legendary's +1 ISH is applied after everything else, meaning it doesn't decay from ISH exponential value. With the way Directorate Sorcery works, and this kind of ridiculous Progression, it's likely that I'll be able to finagle that for DS as well, eventually, since it incorporates all my magic into one thing, though I suspect I'll have to content myself with the +1 from the Domain for some time. Being able to just give an entire Magic System +1 ISH with no downsides, nevermind +2 ISH, is extremely OP, especially with how strong DS is implied to be already. Wonder how the Director and co. will do on the Ladder with that kind of a buff... Eh, it's a long way off for them to get either, nevermind both, even with me actively working on it. Guess they'll have to content themselves with the ridiculous number of magics I'm carting over and incorporating into their system for the moment.
Anyway, time for the Morning build. One centered on grabbing Leveling, as direct attacks on enemy skill is one of my major holes and the learning buff isn't bad either, and Directorate Sorcery, as it turns all my Magics into a single coherent system. It's like I get the Mantle for free!
Bath Kol's Beckoning hit the jackpot here, and seeing as, at my base level, I'm just some guy who lucked into powers like most Isekais, I'm probably still eligible, especially when Wish is pretty much an Isekai, and arguments could be made for Galaxia and the Once shop. I literally have a Magic System entirely devoted to Wish granting. Heck, I might take Twenty Seven Wishes just to fill in the Drawbacks(and out of genuine curiosity about what she'd used ISH 3+ Least Wishes for) and I'm too strong to be that worried about what her long-term plans are! But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Much like Wish, I'm going to act under the pretense that burning a Lesser Wish or three in exchange for more embers isn't an option, possibly due to some aspect of the Beckoning. If I had an extra 3 embers playing on Greed Mode, I'd totally take Seraphic Countenance for the always-relevant super mode. Or if I could take more Drawbacks(pretty sure I can contain Third Impact with zero collateral damage, might even be able to store it for Essence-eating once I've learned Essentialism, adding another Three Wishes and Hemartia is basically free at this point) for +5 so I could grab Chosen One and Seraphic!
[ ] Threshold
[ ] Ecumenical Leveling (4 embers)
[ ] Directorate Sorcery (5 embers)
[ ] Heroic Destiny (1 ember)
[ ] Three Wishes (+1 ember)
[ ] Xenophobia (+1 ember)
[ ] Ark's Golden Gloom (+2 embers)
[ ] Twilight (+3 embers)
Anyway, first order of business is talking to the Hierophant about my plans to Wish up a planet with a personalized race for every god on Pleroma, as well as bringing back Navinir(and any not-completely-evil gods like him) and Lise to tamp down on Denlah's misotheism. They'll technically have free will, but it would require a psychological outlier on the level of the vampire who got Naroch to be a thing for them to not worship their respective god. Assuming that doesn't resolve Twilight, they should be willing to part with a considerable number of artifacts and lore, quite probably including Roderick's Testament, especially since I'll be passing The Classic around for everyone's perusal. Naroch is likely to end up as The Black City equivalent of the local area if they play ball, and Valeska seems pragmatic enough to see which way the wind is blowing. Hell, I can probably find a way to fix their parasitism issue, should any of their number desire it.
Using the accumulated goodwill, treasures, and magics, I'll loot the whole place for magics and tech like the Engine of Eld, though I'm happy to pass the second-best toys around. I'm sure The Hand would appreciate a copy and access to some of the tech and magic I'll be passing around, so convincing him to teach me Demarcation shouldn't be difficult. I'm not sure if I'd be willing to teach him DS, considering his level of cold optimization, but he's not pure evil so I could probably be talked into it when I'm already going to be advancing the art so much and so quickly towards the Executors, Paragons, and Director. Meanwhile, I'll be actively working on inducting Bath and some hand-picked good people for Directorate Sorcery induction. The dwarves sound like mostly good people, and I'll be planning to deal with whatever the hell is going on with the Encystment anyway. Not sure if Fulminance offers anything over Exavolt with +2 ISH/it's Directorate Sorcery equivalent rune, but no reason to not pick it up right? I mean, once it's a DS rune it doesn't really matter if I lack the physiology for it.
Rescuing Kendata would preferably be done as soon as possible, partially so I can stab the General in the face over and over until his face doesn't look like a face over the petty bullshit he and his buddies are pulling on all these innocent people, and partially because I'd like to learn his magics. However I'll probably wait until I've finished looting Pleroma and gotten at least the basics of Directorate Sorcery and it's induction down, just in case. Might want some advice from The Hand as well. Guy should have a pretty good idea what I'll be dealing with if he can keep Hell away.
Tremgar is a straight-up benefit for me, as I can probably just treat him like a regular merchant... right up until I see the Greed Ring. If that shit doesn't teleport to my finger, I'm probably just going to kill him for it, and I'll definitely kill him if he picks a fight over it. Hey, I never claimed to be a merciful god, and this guy's pulled a lot of shit. He'd be scraping by by virtue of me not knowing about like 99% of it, which was probably his gamble, what with all the stuff I could trade him for and this power level being very well-suited for wider interactions with this multiverse in the name of more magics. Like, Practice +Determination's ability to make souls is going to be some bullshit, nevermind Soulsongs added to the mix. Heck, I could probably just Wish up opponents for him to Reap in a manner similar to the Evening Realm via Wishcraft. Of course, that would all be out the window shortly after we actually meet.
Speaking of magics, there's some more stuff I could get out of the rest of the setting. There is of course fixing up the Oracle of Cyravesh and the general buff literally every god in the setting including the Ogdoad would be getting, starting with those in the Threshold. Having whole planets of worshippers apiece should reduce inter-god strife, since there's no need to worry about dying if your worship is pushed out, meaning Pleroma is more of a big game than a life or death struggle for them, not unlike the Games of Divinity in Exalted in terms of being largely stakes-free ways to amuse themselves, meaning strife between the Ostiaries and the scheming gods on the edge of Threshold society should vanish, and they'll have power to spare, so general quality of life should also increase, even beyond theotech getting a big buff from massively raised numbers of theologians. I'm also expecting this to make a permanent moderate level blessing from each of them an utter triviality to demand in return, which should make relevant Directorate runes much easier to make. It's mostly for that, honestly, since I'm not expecting much of a boon to come from any of them outside very specific circumstances.
In The Palm, after The Classic was handed off to the Fingers for Hand perusal, I'd get to work on talking to him about, if my power is still insufficient, at least rescuing as many victims of Hell as possible. Tech-ups via the Engine would probably be the simplest means of getting a proper audience if The Classic isn't enough, assuming I can find it reasonably quickly and 100~ Int is sufficient to do the intellectual equivalent of smashing my head into a wall until the wall breaks with it, or my first Heroic Destiny activation will take my ridiculous power into account and scale up accordingly due to my far greater opportunities, particularly if I've burned a Least Wish or three on healing Bath preemptively. He'd notice the empowerment of the various gods very swiftly, assuming the Oracle of Khoduar didn't tip him off, and that's another potential method gaining an audience, assuming he believes me when I claim responsibility. We have a common enemy here, and The Palm demonstrates a capacity for at least enlightened self-interest, which makes him miles better than Hell.
The Encystment, if it is in fact a Grand Hierophant work, should be relatively easy to clear out with foreknowledge of what I'm dealing with. If it's something else, well, that could be more of a problem, but I'm still confident that I could handle it. I wonder what the dwarves would think of Exavolt, a non-dwarf method of replicating Fulminance. Given they regarded someone without it as effectively being disabled, I'm sure they'd approve. Hell, they might wonder if I could replicate it so everyone can enjoy the benefits of Fulminance. Speaking of which, I'd totally construct some Underway shit so they can travel to other places without setting off their agoraphobia. It seems like the right thing to do, and maybe I'd constructThe Backrooms some sort of Agartha-like realm for them to call home. A human might call it claustrophobic, but I'm sure they'd like it. They're noted to also be appreciative of Engine tech, so hopefully I'd have gotten a decent amount of tech out of it by this point. Then there's whatever's going on at the bottom driving people crazy and keeping them from leaving. Shouldn't be hard to get the dwarves to at least show me their matter-manipulation magic.
In Talvurin, I'll be reviving Navinir and dealing with a certain super-toad, assuming Navinir's revival doesn't calm Batrachius down. Orm said that dealing with the latter would lead to the Archipelago kneeling as one, which will make building the local outpost of the Summer Empire here much easier. Reviving Navinir is just icing on the cake for winning their loyalty, really. As mentioned, I'll cooperate with Navinir to revive Lise as well. I don't expect Semaphore Magic to be of much use, but I might as well throw it on the pile. It's not like there's much reason not to add it to Directorate Sorcery's stockpile of runes. Pennant magic is much the same, given the kinds of artifacts I'll be treating like candy, but who knows what it's ultimate state looks like? For all I know, I could make a flag the size of a moon to offer some kind of major boon to a significant slice of a galaxy.
All the treasures here, particularly when I've almost certainly bribed Roderick's Testament out of the Ogdoad, offers a lot of potential, particularly when I can offer spatially warped landmasses that take up very little space but are continent-sized at relatively little expenditure and the like as bribes for various people and entities guarding things.
Dealing with the Heath will probably be the most difficult, but also the most profitable. Tons of stuff of potential research value, but also absolutely crawling with crazies, curses, and monstrosities. Wiping out the mad mages and demonic cultists(portal to the demonic realm might be my best bet for finding the Lust Ring, not to mention Pride, Gluttony, Jealousy, Wrath, and Sloth, with Envy presumably unavailable so it can be grabbed by the Ormulum CYOA person, and Greed in Tremgar's grasp for the moment) should be simple enough, particularly when I'm willing to cooperate with the Fingers on it.
Dealing with Septentrion before the Tree of Eyes 'blossoms' seems like a good idea, and Jarchald just seems like an all-around jerk, and I've an obligation to the Vurins to deal with him one way or another. Seeing as I'm likely to leave the Hand, Bath Kol, and the Directorate to steward this world once I've finished resolving all the issues and looting it, I'll likely be perfectly fine with sharing any stuff I find here(or in the Navinian, for that matter) with the former in exchange for the context he can provide in the wider Ormulum multiverse. If there's an entrance to the Engine of Eld anywhere on Pleroma, I'd bet it's here.
Given the fact that I've created a whole planet for Sovarus, I don't think Meritria will be a problem. In fact, I can probably expect a hero's welcome, to the extent that their special treasures/artifacts are likely mine to peruse, for whatever that's worth. Maybe I'll hand them some kind of boon for their demigods. What can I say? I've always liked Bretonnia's aesthetic with the Grail Knights and the like. Something akin to Illuminosan physiology to allow Sovarus' power to gradually buff them in parallel to Fortification, perhaps.
Arranor is simple enough. As Navinir and Lise will have been restored with the explicit goal of calming Denlah down, I don't think he'll have too much problem with me bolstering the gods of the setting, and I could probably swing having grabbed her Atrephelion(Wonder if that's what Foxhole Aethiest was looking for? Probably that or Lise's remains.) to hand over the three piece he doesn't have in return for basically the best Essentialism teacher I could ask for. He should be able to get a copy of The Classic without much issue with how much I've been throwing it around, but I'll give him a copy if he doesn't have one or is dealing with an edited version. A custom planet of Salts in the vein of the ones for each of the gods for Arranor should restore the balance of power enough for the Ogdoad not to simply run him over, if necessary. They've already got dimensional mining facilities, but a whole planet can only help, even if I'm likely to ask Denlah and Lise their opinions on the matter of it's exact composition.
Naroch, as I mentioned, is likely to be the Black City equivalent, for the races that can only parasitize others like the vampires and psychologically unfit of the others, so in a way it will remain the haven for the unsightly and corrupt. I doubt Valeska will have a problem with it. For all her own pragmatism, I think she could take a look at The Classic and objectively say her people weren't suited for the Summer Empire. Luckily, the perfect society thought of that, hence the Black City being a thing. She can still draw lessons from The Classic, of course. As noted, the Black City is still a reflection of the Summer Empire proper. If necessary, I can probably create a vampire race that 'feeds' on being preyed upon, allowing a relationship that is both exploitative and mutually beneficial.
Now for the magics, even if I'm just going to incorporate them into Directorate Sorcery in a number of cases, given Wishcraft with +2 ISH should be capable of just about everything I'd want, provided I'm willing to wait until sufficient Wish power is available, and how DS is totally going to incorporate Legendary with me actively working on it, as well as my Domain. Normally, it would probably take a ridiculously long time for that to happen, but +200% to it's maximum height will help, and the +1 ISH buff from my Domain over Magic and over 2 million times my pre-Reincarnation Progression(that's about 4000 times faster than Hunger, by the by) should make it possible, considering Legendary was applicable per Geas task with Sublime Fulcrum and I don't have Apocryphal to worry about causing me distractions. Meaning DS should rapidly obtain +2 ISH(swiftly applying it to all subordinated magics, which is all of them) and I'm sure the Director will be appreciative of the leg up on climbing the ladder.
Admittedly, excluding the Pale and Gold Welkins, Vertex, and Exavolt, I'm sort of limited in terms of actual offensive magics, unless you count my 9 soulsongs, and those are ill-defined. Mage-Recruit Workings are generally more along the lines of poofing equipment into existence, and sometimes shooting raw Idealspace energy at people with it. Fortification at least offers a buff to my general physical combat stats, buffing my defense and agility back up to par with my strength and offering unique powers if I train it up in the right way, and with Trinity's three minds and Determination's soul creation, I probably have some seriously odd paths I could potentially advance down. Especially with Devourer to expedite the process of absorbing characteristics from Essential Salts by treating them like rock candy. I can literally eat the Tree of Eyes for power, among other things.
Fulminance, as mentioned, occupies much of the same niche as Exavolt for me, but I'd be interested in comparing the two. It also seems better suited to the crafting of AIs, as normal dwarves technically are. I wonder how this works with Determination's soul creation? I suppose some experimentation is in order.
Sympathetic Strings gives me a basis for Goetic Magic. I'd assume my Ogdoad contacts, looting of the Archipelago and Heath, and being Beckoned should make initiation a breeze, as well as allowing significant cross-referencing. A basis for my return to my original section of the Verse, mostly. I'd probably learn this early on to ease resurrection of Lise and the dead gods, as Wishcraft's restrictions are based on your abilities and knowledge, so a magic that technically allows for the resurrection of the mortal dead should make Wishing for the restoration of divinities and individual mortals much easier. A basic anointment or a general pass, since I a) can make more living space if necessary, and b) don't plan to bring people back en masse(I'm more likely to make a plane where the dead and living can have chats), should be completely fine to ask for/expect at this point. Plus there's always the issue of specialization allowing entities to punch well above their weight class. I might have Welkin-based foresight and insight, as well as Alchemy capable of viewing alternate timelines, but I still need to know what to look for and that I should be looking in the first place.
Viscerality offers to make, say, granting buffs to the Illuminosans and anybody who catches my eye around here much easier, and it should make buffs from Fortification much, much stronger. I'd bet it also works well with Half-Devourer. Maybe I can use the link it has to the Ring of Lust to track it down?
With an in with The Hand, learning Demarcation shouldn't be hard. Demarcation is great for stuff like prison realms, as well as precision kills(both in the sense of hitting a weak point and in the sense of negating collateral damage when hitting a specific guy with a supernova), in addition to perfect screening/filtering devices, which have a whole host of benefits. Purging people of their toxins like a magitech version of Star Trek's sonic showers, and making running away impossible is always helpful when trying to run someone down. If it's great at providing structure, I'd bet Alchemy will love it. The color blindness shouldn't be hard to find a work around for.
Nine Suns seems difficult to get initiated into, but I could probably convince Kol to lend me her support for it if my mastery of Goetic Magic is sufficient to carry a message to her. As melee weapons go, I'm as vanilla as they come. A Keyblade might be a funny-looking sword, but it remains a sword. Might as well have an explicit combat style beyond 'hit them really hard' and getting it the hard way(well, as hard as Wishing it up worst comes to worst would be) should remove that disdain for ranged combat. Leveling should also make learning this stuff easier, since initiation is the absolute foundation of just about any kind of magic or combat art. Alchemy(Feast and Galaxia alike) should allow for quite the sword, I would think. Assuming of course that Slayer's Solution doesn't qualify.
Clerical Error is a lot like Goetic Magic for me. Between the planets(or more, depending on what ISH 'make a pocket universe with it's own inhabited planet with a custom species a quadrillion strong Coruscant-style for each god in existence on Pleroma and all the dead ones that aren't horrifically evil' is relative to a Minor Wish), Determination allowing for souls perfectly molded to use the power of various divinities, and Leveling allowing for rapid learning of the basics, and thus initiation, allowing for something akin to calling on the (expanded) power of specialized super-spirits for shenanigans in their domains. Depending on how Clerical Error works, +1 ISH from my Domain/+2 ISH from Legendary applied to CE through DS and my Domain, I might be able to turn their equivalent of a cantrip into a world-changing miracle without charging them any more, which could have very interesting effects when combined with Wishcraft.
While Gift replication is perhaps possible(Valeska could steal it, and if it can be transferred, then it should be possible to copy, particularly with Viscerality and Determination to attack the problem from any necessary angle), I've already got +1 ISH on Essentialism, so I'm not sure it's an issue. Demarcation provides the structure it lacks, and I'd love to see what Essentialism and Alchemy working in concert can accomplish.
If any artifact connected to these magics could justify the use of a Least Wish, the Engine of Eld is probably the only thing besides nabbing a Ring that would qualify. It can probably be finagled to qualify as Magic(Clarketech) without much issue, given it's already being treated as such for Chosen One purposes, meaning +2 ISH is potentially in the cards despite being Artifce-based in theory. Injecting souls into the Engine should dramatically boost it's self-repair abilities, and Mage-Recruit Workings should make said repairs much easier where this is insufficient, helping to guard against any future destruction of it's functions as well. What of Light the Luminous Scroll has taught me is also likely to be of use here. Probably not going to be several hundred thousand years before repairs are done, even if a few Least Wishes need to be burned for it.
Authority of Expnging Wickedness is... yeah, I'm not even going to try and grab that. I'm not suicidal. Practice, on the other hand, should be incredibly nuts with Determination, plus however Sympathetic Strings and soulsongs interact with carving spiritual grooves, not to mention Trinity. I suspect Transmigrator and Unbreakable will make it take much, much longer for any such grooves to vanish with time, meaning I can accumulate Practice to a degree unheard of.
Leveling is probably going to be spammed against pirates in Talvurin and madmen in the Heath, as most of the things I'd eat with Devourer are unlikely to have been alive any time recently and those guys are going to be fed to Slayer's Solution for at least a couple Orbs to spend on Lottery rounds, so I'm not worried about their value to Devourer dropping if they get Leveled.
Directorate Sorcery was selected as this version of me is very well-suited to finding out about the Director's goals without imploding to memetic hazards or whatever. That being said, first goal before replicating Legendary and my Domain buff for them is finding appropriate people to Mantle the Director, Paragons, and Executors, and selecting one for Bath to Mantle, presumably the Administrator or Blade. I'm sure they'll appreciate The Classic to help with the Shining City ideal if they don't turn out to be nutjobs.
Anyway, DS explicitly improves any codified magics, and if I'm searching for candidates to Mantle the top dogs, having a full-on school for Directorate Sorcerers makes sense. Likely to be based in the Archipelago as the center of my power. I'm basically unbeatable to anyone not named Bath Kol or the Director and co or possibly the Ogdoad going all-out, so this is fairly safe, all things considered. Leveling's ease of teaching should cause this to spread like wildfire when I do so intentionally. If I can't guarantee their benevolence, I will at least gatekeep the +2 ISH benefit until they've actually shown up and Gold Welkin can assist me in determining their character and whether I should assist them or usurp them. Hopefully having such a strong influence on their hosts makes this unnecessary, but I'm still wary of the Director themselves, even with all my advantages. Concepts Sorcerers interact with get added as runes, after all, and I'm going to be interacted with by a lot of Sorcerers, not to mention my intentional efforts to codify my various magics to allow the Bridge Welkin's power to make all my stuff teachable here and back home. Having my various Progression +s propagate to the Paragons and co. is likely the biggest risk if they prove twisted in some fashion. My Domain's -1 ISH to hostile Magic should protect me, but with the implied level of nonsense the Director and his buddies are capable of, I can't be completely sure.
Still, if they are, in fact, benevolent, +2 ISH to DS should allow it to rapidly leapfrog to the Ormulum multiverse's pre-eminent magic and give them a huge leg up on climbing Jacob's Ladder, especially with all I'm bringing to the table, such as Wishcraft and Surgecraft adding insane versatility. Imagine every Surgecraft Element becoming a node, allowing everyone to call upon the effects of every Element everyone has ever had or could have, with Legendary and then some.
Now for the Benefits. Admittedly, unlike the magics I can't just grab most of these, so it'll be a much shorter section.
High level Viscerality(particularly with the Lust Ring) should be able to make Silent Springs a thing, particularly with my Domain. Of Marginal value to me, but as a Viscerality application I can hit people with, much better value.
Heroic Destiny should have a buff from Power acting like offensive Rank, and my immense Luck, and I picked it in hopes of obtaining some stuff like the Engine's permissions and/or finding it without having to burn a Least Wish or the like on it. A mean of contacting Bath to arrange her Mantling would likely also be in the cards here.
I'd work to free Kandata as soon as possible, partially just to stick it to Hell, but also because Onus + 2 Curses sounds like some serious insanity. Leycraft and Labyrinth also sound nice.
There And Back Again would be nice as a guarantee, but I'm pretty sure this level of magic is sufficient to bypass the absolute need for it, particularly with Goetic Magic as a baseline. With the temporal instability of the in-between realm, I can likely even ensure that from the perspective of my home universe, I was gone for only a split second.
Artifacts will also be short.
I can get as much Essential Salts as I want pretty much whenever, so that was a pass.
Roderick's Testament was one of the rewards for making all the gods their own planets with more worshippers than Pleroma has people. Grabbing the Voyaging Authority with it's help should be a cinch, considering I've gone all over my home galaxy, gone to the parallel universe of my Wish, plied the Star Ocean of the Galaxia cruise, jumped around alternate timelines, and now been spirited away to a far corner of the Omniverse relative to my own. It should be helpful in dealing with Batrachius if Navinir's revival isn't enough, and helping the dwarves rediscover what's left of Agartha as well. Practice would likely be unlocked via perusal of it's pages.
Now, Horizon isn't normally something I would spring for, but I'll be taking to effort to figure out Nine Swords, and that only works right with a sword, so I might as well have the best sword possible. Presumably, with her permission, obtained via Three Wishes, using Directorate Sorcery to wield a shadow of her sword via the connected rune should be possible. Combining it with Slayer's Solution and the Furthermost Reaches Sword via Demarcation should have quite an interesting end result.
Apheliotes is something I'm just going to grab as I go to give back to Lise.
Lastly, Drawbacks. Likely the shortest section.
Three Wishes isn't that big a deal with +2 ISH on Wishcraft and DS' codifying boosting it further, not to mention over a X2.1 million Progression modifier, which may well accelerate the accumulation of Wishes as that's the way Wishcraft Progresses, meaning a Least Wish every 15 seconds or so. Whatever my baseline is, +2 ISH on a year's worth of it every 15 seconds is going to utterly trivialize anything that isn't healing Bath Kol.
Tremgar offers Litanal runes for DS via his connection to me. I'd probably burn a Least Wish on keeping my power hidden from him until I've used the connection to work them out. He's kind of trivialized by this level of nonsense, so I'd probably just find him when the decade ran out and he tried to Reap me and attempt to sit down for a chat with him before totally murdering him for his Ring.
Now to slightly modify that Gifted One Ineptitude build I made. And by modify I mean explain what changes are made. Star Guardians should still get by okay, as they'll be significantly stronger and more knowledgeable, just like me. It would take some utter nonsense for them to falter in the face of '+2 ISH for all your magic. Yes, all of it.' and general buffs from supremely advanced Viscerality with DS buffs. The codification presumably applies to any Elder Ring powers I obtain, and since it's the original, unmodified Legendary, there's the possibility that Legendary can be stacked for powers that qualify as Magic, as the issue with doing so is normally that the Mental Stability loss is exponential. The Obverse Face does a lot to negate that issue, and my physical, mental, and spiritual durability had been further buffed by the stuff I looted from the Pleroma.
Another +2 ISH to an Essence 9 Solar with Magic is probably more than enough to kick the ass of the Primordials and Unconquered Sun working together. Another *10 to Progression(well, *9.25) and *10 to potential drops Least Wishes to about 1.66 seconds apiece. Combined with Eternal, and I can burn a century of effort on something every 2 seconds with room to spare. Speaking of Eternal, -1 ISH to hostile Magic makes it even more busted. ISH 4.0 effects drop to ISH 2.0, instead of 3.0, provided I'm dealing with Magic, though the Engine might give me options when dealing with Clarketech, particularly with this level of Progression backing me up.
The extra Progression also means I can rapidly learn all Chiron has to teach me. If I was well-suited to advance to at least Mid-Cursebearer before, that's a gross understatement now.
5585 words, discounting this line.
Let's start with the Reincarnation CYOA:
[ ] Unlocked Potential - 1 LSS. X3.
[ ] Proof of Existence - 1 LSS.
[ ] Progression Booster - 1 GSS. X2.
[ ] Domain - 1 Enlightened Empowerment. - +1 ISH to Magic/-1 ISH to hostile Magic.
+6 to All Stats and +18 to Con/End(150 total) for Progression Booster. ++++++Progression. X729 to Progression. That's notably superior to a normal Progression Type in growth rate. A day of study for me is about 2 years for anyone else, ignoring my ridiculous Statline and other Progression boosters.
My Proof of Existence is probably a book that turns pretty much everything into a method of training magic(like if you got everything from the Sparks of Possibility in Prototype), be that lazing about, combat, self-study, or being taught, while applying it's booster therein, so 72,900 times normal Progression.
+200% to the maximum heights of any skill, Magic System, or Combat Art I use, with a Stat doubled and added to another wherever Stats are applicable in studying such things. 72,900X 300(End/Con X2)= 2,187,000 times my previous Progression speed. Antinarrator is probably a non-factor with all that applied to what Gifted One was already bringing to the table, honestly.
Domain buff to Magic means Welkincraft, Wishcraft, Surgecraft, and Light have +2 ISH, since Legendary's +1 ISH is applied after everything else, meaning it doesn't decay from ISH exponential value. With the way Directorate Sorcery works, and this kind of ridiculous Progression, it's likely that I'll be able to finagle that for DS as well, eventually, since it incorporates all my magic into one thing, though I suspect I'll have to content myself with the +1 from the Domain for some time. Being able to just give an entire Magic System +1 ISH with no downsides, nevermind +2 ISH, is extremely OP, especially with how strong DS is implied to be already. Wonder how the Director and co. will do on the Ladder with that kind of a buff... Eh, it's a long way off for them to get either, nevermind both, even with me actively working on it. Guess they'll have to content themselves with the ridiculous number of magics I'm carting over and incorporating into their system for the moment.
Anyway, time for the Morning build. One centered on grabbing Leveling, as direct attacks on enemy skill is one of my major holes and the learning buff isn't bad either, and Directorate Sorcery, as it turns all my Magics into a single coherent system. It's like I get the Mantle for free!
Bath Kol's Beckoning hit the jackpot here, and seeing as, at my base level, I'm just some guy who lucked into powers like most Isekais, I'm probably still eligible, especially when Wish is pretty much an Isekai, and arguments could be made for Galaxia and the Once shop. I literally have a Magic System entirely devoted to Wish granting. Heck, I might take Twenty Seven Wishes just to fill in the Drawbacks(and out of genuine curiosity about what she'd used ISH 3+ Least Wishes for) and I'm too strong to be that worried about what her long-term plans are! But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Much like Wish, I'm going to act under the pretense that burning a Lesser Wish or three in exchange for more embers isn't an option, possibly due to some aspect of the Beckoning. If I had an extra 3 embers playing on Greed Mode, I'd totally take Seraphic Countenance for the always-relevant super mode. Or if I could take more Drawbacks(pretty sure I can contain Third Impact with zero collateral damage, might even be able to store it for Essence-eating once I've learned Essentialism, adding another Three Wishes and Hemartia is basically free at this point) for +5 so I could grab Chosen One and Seraphic!
[ ] Threshold
[ ] Ecumenical Leveling (4 embers)
[ ] Directorate Sorcery (5 embers)
[ ] Heroic Destiny (1 ember)
[ ] Three Wishes (+1 ember)
[ ] Xenophobia (+1 ember)
[ ] Ark's Golden Gloom (+2 embers)
[ ] Twilight (+3 embers)
Anyway, first order of business is talking to the Hierophant about my plans to Wish up a planet with a personalized race for every god on Pleroma, as well as bringing back Navinir(and any not-completely-evil gods like him) and Lise to tamp down on Denlah's misotheism. They'll technically have free will, but it would require a psychological outlier on the level of the vampire who got Naroch to be a thing for them to not worship their respective god. Assuming that doesn't resolve Twilight, they should be willing to part with a considerable number of artifacts and lore, quite probably including Roderick's Testament, especially since I'll be passing The Classic around for everyone's perusal. Naroch is likely to end up as The Black City equivalent of the local area if they play ball, and Valeska seems pragmatic enough to see which way the wind is blowing. Hell, I can probably find a way to fix their parasitism issue, should any of their number desire it.
Using the accumulated goodwill, treasures, and magics, I'll loot the whole place for magics and tech like the Engine of Eld, though I'm happy to pass the second-best toys around. I'm sure The Hand would appreciate a copy and access to some of the tech and magic I'll be passing around, so convincing him to teach me Demarcation shouldn't be difficult. I'm not sure if I'd be willing to teach him DS, considering his level of cold optimization, but he's not pure evil so I could probably be talked into it when I'm already going to be advancing the art so much and so quickly towards the Executors, Paragons, and Director. Meanwhile, I'll be actively working on inducting Bath and some hand-picked good people for Directorate Sorcery induction. The dwarves sound like mostly good people, and I'll be planning to deal with whatever the hell is going on with the Encystment anyway. Not sure if Fulminance offers anything over Exavolt with +2 ISH/it's Directorate Sorcery equivalent rune, but no reason to not pick it up right? I mean, once it's a DS rune it doesn't really matter if I lack the physiology for it.
Rescuing Kendata would preferably be done as soon as possible, partially so I can stab the General in the face over and over until his face doesn't look like a face over the petty bullshit he and his buddies are pulling on all these innocent people, and partially because I'd like to learn his magics. However I'll probably wait until I've finished looting Pleroma and gotten at least the basics of Directorate Sorcery and it's induction down, just in case. Might want some advice from The Hand as well. Guy should have a pretty good idea what I'll be dealing with if he can keep Hell away.
Tremgar is a straight-up benefit for me, as I can probably just treat him like a regular merchant... right up until I see the Greed Ring. If that shit doesn't teleport to my finger, I'm probably just going to kill him for it, and I'll definitely kill him if he picks a fight over it. Hey, I never claimed to be a merciful god, and this guy's pulled a lot of shit. He'd be scraping by by virtue of me not knowing about like 99% of it, which was probably his gamble, what with all the stuff I could trade him for and this power level being very well-suited for wider interactions with this multiverse in the name of more magics. Like, Practice +Determination's ability to make souls is going to be some bullshit, nevermind Soulsongs added to the mix. Heck, I could probably just Wish up opponents for him to Reap in a manner similar to the Evening Realm via Wishcraft. Of course, that would all be out the window shortly after we actually meet.
Speaking of magics, there's some more stuff I could get out of the rest of the setting. There is of course fixing up the Oracle of Cyravesh and the general buff literally every god in the setting including the Ogdoad would be getting, starting with those in the Threshold. Having whole planets of worshippers apiece should reduce inter-god strife, since there's no need to worry about dying if your worship is pushed out, meaning Pleroma is more of a big game than a life or death struggle for them, not unlike the Games of Divinity in Exalted in terms of being largely stakes-free ways to amuse themselves, meaning strife between the Ostiaries and the scheming gods on the edge of Threshold society should vanish, and they'll have power to spare, so general quality of life should also increase, even beyond theotech getting a big buff from massively raised numbers of theologians. I'm also expecting this to make a permanent moderate level blessing from each of them an utter triviality to demand in return, which should make relevant Directorate runes much easier to make. It's mostly for that, honestly, since I'm not expecting much of a boon to come from any of them outside very specific circumstances.
In The Palm, after The Classic was handed off to the Fingers for Hand perusal, I'd get to work on talking to him about, if my power is still insufficient, at least rescuing as many victims of Hell as possible. Tech-ups via the Engine would probably be the simplest means of getting a proper audience if The Classic isn't enough, assuming I can find it reasonably quickly and 100~ Int is sufficient to do the intellectual equivalent of smashing my head into a wall until the wall breaks with it, or my first Heroic Destiny activation will take my ridiculous power into account and scale up accordingly due to my far greater opportunities, particularly if I've burned a Least Wish or three on healing Bath preemptively. He'd notice the empowerment of the various gods very swiftly, assuming the Oracle of Khoduar didn't tip him off, and that's another potential method gaining an audience, assuming he believes me when I claim responsibility. We have a common enemy here, and The Palm demonstrates a capacity for at least enlightened self-interest, which makes him miles better than Hell.
The Encystment, if it is in fact a Grand Hierophant work, should be relatively easy to clear out with foreknowledge of what I'm dealing with. If it's something else, well, that could be more of a problem, but I'm still confident that I could handle it. I wonder what the dwarves would think of Exavolt, a non-dwarf method of replicating Fulminance. Given they regarded someone without it as effectively being disabled, I'm sure they'd approve. Hell, they might wonder if I could replicate it so everyone can enjoy the benefits of Fulminance. Speaking of which, I'd totally construct some Underway shit so they can travel to other places without setting off their agoraphobia. It seems like the right thing to do, and maybe I'd construct
In Talvurin, I'll be reviving Navinir and dealing with a certain super-toad, assuming Navinir's revival doesn't calm Batrachius down. Orm said that dealing with the latter would lead to the Archipelago kneeling as one, which will make building the local outpost of the Summer Empire here much easier. Reviving Navinir is just icing on the cake for winning their loyalty, really. As mentioned, I'll cooperate with Navinir to revive Lise as well. I don't expect Semaphore Magic to be of much use, but I might as well throw it on the pile. It's not like there's much reason not to add it to Directorate Sorcery's stockpile of runes. Pennant magic is much the same, given the kinds of artifacts I'll be treating like candy, but who knows what it's ultimate state looks like? For all I know, I could make a flag the size of a moon to offer some kind of major boon to a significant slice of a galaxy.
All the treasures here, particularly when I've almost certainly bribed Roderick's Testament out of the Ogdoad, offers a lot of potential, particularly when I can offer spatially warped landmasses that take up very little space but are continent-sized at relatively little expenditure and the like as bribes for various people and entities guarding things.
Dealing with the Heath will probably be the most difficult, but also the most profitable. Tons of stuff of potential research value, but also absolutely crawling with crazies, curses, and monstrosities. Wiping out the mad mages and demonic cultists(portal to the demonic realm might be my best bet for finding the Lust Ring, not to mention Pride, Gluttony, Jealousy, Wrath, and Sloth, with Envy presumably unavailable so it can be grabbed by the Ormulum CYOA person, and Greed in Tremgar's grasp for the moment) should be simple enough, particularly when I'm willing to cooperate with the Fingers on it.
Dealing with Septentrion before the Tree of Eyes 'blossoms' seems like a good idea, and Jarchald just seems like an all-around jerk, and I've an obligation to the Vurins to deal with him one way or another. Seeing as I'm likely to leave the Hand, Bath Kol, and the Directorate to steward this world once I've finished resolving all the issues and looting it, I'll likely be perfectly fine with sharing any stuff I find here(or in the Navinian, for that matter) with the former in exchange for the context he can provide in the wider Ormulum multiverse. If there's an entrance to the Engine of Eld anywhere on Pleroma, I'd bet it's here.
Given the fact that I've created a whole planet for Sovarus, I don't think Meritria will be a problem. In fact, I can probably expect a hero's welcome, to the extent that their special treasures/artifacts are likely mine to peruse, for whatever that's worth. Maybe I'll hand them some kind of boon for their demigods. What can I say? I've always liked Bretonnia's aesthetic with the Grail Knights and the like. Something akin to Illuminosan physiology to allow Sovarus' power to gradually buff them in parallel to Fortification, perhaps.
Arranor is simple enough. As Navinir and Lise will have been restored with the explicit goal of calming Denlah down, I don't think he'll have too much problem with me bolstering the gods of the setting, and I could probably swing having grabbed her Atrephelion(Wonder if that's what Foxhole Aethiest was looking for? Probably that or Lise's remains.) to hand over the three piece he doesn't have in return for basically the best Essentialism teacher I could ask for. He should be able to get a copy of The Classic without much issue with how much I've been throwing it around, but I'll give him a copy if he doesn't have one or is dealing with an edited version. A custom planet of Salts in the vein of the ones for each of the gods for Arranor should restore the balance of power enough for the Ogdoad not to simply run him over, if necessary. They've already got dimensional mining facilities, but a whole planet can only help, even if I'm likely to ask Denlah and Lise their opinions on the matter of it's exact composition.
Naroch, as I mentioned, is likely to be the Black City equivalent, for the races that can only parasitize others like the vampires and psychologically unfit of the others, so in a way it will remain the haven for the unsightly and corrupt. I doubt Valeska will have a problem with it. For all her own pragmatism, I think she could take a look at The Classic and objectively say her people weren't suited for the Summer Empire. Luckily, the perfect society thought of that, hence the Black City being a thing. She can still draw lessons from The Classic, of course. As noted, the Black City is still a reflection of the Summer Empire proper. If necessary, I can probably create a vampire race that 'feeds' on being preyed upon, allowing a relationship that is both exploitative and mutually beneficial.
Now for the magics, even if I'm just going to incorporate them into Directorate Sorcery in a number of cases, given Wishcraft with +2 ISH should be capable of just about everything I'd want, provided I'm willing to wait until sufficient Wish power is available, and how DS is totally going to incorporate Legendary with me actively working on it, as well as my Domain. Normally, it would probably take a ridiculously long time for that to happen, but +200% to it's maximum height will help, and the +1 ISH buff from my Domain over Magic and over 2 million times my pre-Reincarnation Progression(that's about 4000 times faster than Hunger, by the by) should make it possible, considering Legendary was applicable per Geas task with Sublime Fulcrum and I don't have Apocryphal to worry about causing me distractions. Meaning DS should rapidly obtain +2 ISH(swiftly applying it to all subordinated magics, which is all of them) and I'm sure the Director will be appreciative of the leg up on climbing the ladder.
Admittedly, excluding the Pale and Gold Welkins, Vertex, and Exavolt, I'm sort of limited in terms of actual offensive magics, unless you count my 9 soulsongs, and those are ill-defined. Mage-Recruit Workings are generally more along the lines of poofing equipment into existence, and sometimes shooting raw Idealspace energy at people with it. Fortification at least offers a buff to my general physical combat stats, buffing my defense and agility back up to par with my strength and offering unique powers if I train it up in the right way, and with Trinity's three minds and Determination's soul creation, I probably have some seriously odd paths I could potentially advance down. Especially with Devourer to expedite the process of absorbing characteristics from Essential Salts by treating them like rock candy. I can literally eat the Tree of Eyes for power, among other things.
Fulminance, as mentioned, occupies much of the same niche as Exavolt for me, but I'd be interested in comparing the two. It also seems better suited to the crafting of AIs, as normal dwarves technically are. I wonder how this works with Determination's soul creation? I suppose some experimentation is in order.
Sympathetic Strings gives me a basis for Goetic Magic. I'd assume my Ogdoad contacts, looting of the Archipelago and Heath, and being Beckoned should make initiation a breeze, as well as allowing significant cross-referencing. A basis for my return to my original section of the Verse, mostly. I'd probably learn this early on to ease resurrection of Lise and the dead gods, as Wishcraft's restrictions are based on your abilities and knowledge, so a magic that technically allows for the resurrection of the mortal dead should make Wishing for the restoration of divinities and individual mortals much easier. A basic anointment or a general pass, since I a) can make more living space if necessary, and b) don't plan to bring people back en masse(I'm more likely to make a plane where the dead and living can have chats), should be completely fine to ask for/expect at this point. Plus there's always the issue of specialization allowing entities to punch well above their weight class. I might have Welkin-based foresight and insight, as well as Alchemy capable of viewing alternate timelines, but I still need to know what to look for and that I should be looking in the first place.
Viscerality offers to make, say, granting buffs to the Illuminosans and anybody who catches my eye around here much easier, and it should make buffs from Fortification much, much stronger. I'd bet it also works well with Half-Devourer. Maybe I can use the link it has to the Ring of Lust to track it down?
With an in with The Hand, learning Demarcation shouldn't be hard. Demarcation is great for stuff like prison realms, as well as precision kills(both in the sense of hitting a weak point and in the sense of negating collateral damage when hitting a specific guy with a supernova), in addition to perfect screening/filtering devices, which have a whole host of benefits. Purging people of their toxins like a magitech version of Star Trek's sonic showers, and making running away impossible is always helpful when trying to run someone down. If it's great at providing structure, I'd bet Alchemy will love it. The color blindness shouldn't be hard to find a work around for.
Nine Suns seems difficult to get initiated into, but I could probably convince Kol to lend me her support for it if my mastery of Goetic Magic is sufficient to carry a message to her. As melee weapons go, I'm as vanilla as they come. A Keyblade might be a funny-looking sword, but it remains a sword. Might as well have an explicit combat style beyond 'hit them really hard' and getting it the hard way(well, as hard as Wishing it up worst comes to worst would be) should remove that disdain for ranged combat. Leveling should also make learning this stuff easier, since initiation is the absolute foundation of just about any kind of magic or combat art. Alchemy(Feast and Galaxia alike) should allow for quite the sword, I would think. Assuming of course that Slayer's Solution doesn't qualify.
Clerical Error is a lot like Goetic Magic for me. Between the planets(or more, depending on what ISH 'make a pocket universe with it's own inhabited planet with a custom species a quadrillion strong Coruscant-style for each god in existence on Pleroma and all the dead ones that aren't horrifically evil' is relative to a Minor Wish), Determination allowing for souls perfectly molded to use the power of various divinities, and Leveling allowing for rapid learning of the basics, and thus initiation, allowing for something akin to calling on the (expanded) power of specialized super-spirits for shenanigans in their domains. Depending on how Clerical Error works, +1 ISH from my Domain/+2 ISH from Legendary applied to CE through DS and my Domain, I might be able to turn their equivalent of a cantrip into a world-changing miracle without charging them any more, which could have very interesting effects when combined with Wishcraft.
While Gift replication is perhaps possible(Valeska could steal it, and if it can be transferred, then it should be possible to copy, particularly with Viscerality and Determination to attack the problem from any necessary angle), I've already got +1 ISH on Essentialism, so I'm not sure it's an issue. Demarcation provides the structure it lacks, and I'd love to see what Essentialism and Alchemy working in concert can accomplish.
If any artifact connected to these magics could justify the use of a Least Wish, the Engine of Eld is probably the only thing besides nabbing a Ring that would qualify. It can probably be finagled to qualify as Magic(Clarketech) without much issue, given it's already being treated as such for Chosen One purposes, meaning +2 ISH is potentially in the cards despite being Artifce-based in theory. Injecting souls into the Engine should dramatically boost it's self-repair abilities, and Mage-Recruit Workings should make said repairs much easier where this is insufficient, helping to guard against any future destruction of it's functions as well. What of Light the Luminous Scroll has taught me is also likely to be of use here. Probably not going to be several hundred thousand years before repairs are done, even if a few Least Wishes need to be burned for it.
Authority of Expnging Wickedness is... yeah, I'm not even going to try and grab that. I'm not suicidal. Practice, on the other hand, should be incredibly nuts with Determination, plus however Sympathetic Strings and soulsongs interact with carving spiritual grooves, not to mention Trinity. I suspect Transmigrator and Unbreakable will make it take much, much longer for any such grooves to vanish with time, meaning I can accumulate Practice to a degree unheard of.
Leveling is probably going to be spammed against pirates in Talvurin and madmen in the Heath, as most of the things I'd eat with Devourer are unlikely to have been alive any time recently and those guys are going to be fed to Slayer's Solution for at least a couple Orbs to spend on Lottery rounds, so I'm not worried about their value to Devourer dropping if they get Leveled.
Directorate Sorcery was selected as this version of me is very well-suited to finding out about the Director's goals without imploding to memetic hazards or whatever. That being said, first goal before replicating Legendary and my Domain buff for them is finding appropriate people to Mantle the Director, Paragons, and Executors, and selecting one for Bath to Mantle, presumably the Administrator or Blade. I'm sure they'll appreciate The Classic to help with the Shining City ideal if they don't turn out to be nutjobs.
Anyway, DS explicitly improves any codified magics, and if I'm searching for candidates to Mantle the top dogs, having a full-on school for Directorate Sorcerers makes sense. Likely to be based in the Archipelago as the center of my power. I'm basically unbeatable to anyone not named Bath Kol or the Director and co or possibly the Ogdoad going all-out, so this is fairly safe, all things considered. Leveling's ease of teaching should cause this to spread like wildfire when I do so intentionally. If I can't guarantee their benevolence, I will at least gatekeep the +2 ISH benefit until they've actually shown up and Gold Welkin can assist me in determining their character and whether I should assist them or usurp them. Hopefully having such a strong influence on their hosts makes this unnecessary, but I'm still wary of the Director themselves, even with all my advantages. Concepts Sorcerers interact with get added as runes, after all, and I'm going to be interacted with by a lot of Sorcerers, not to mention my intentional efforts to codify my various magics to allow the Bridge Welkin's power to make all my stuff teachable here and back home. Having my various Progression +s propagate to the Paragons and co. is likely the biggest risk if they prove twisted in some fashion. My Domain's -1 ISH to hostile Magic should protect me, but with the implied level of nonsense the Director and his buddies are capable of, I can't be completely sure.
Still, if they are, in fact, benevolent, +2 ISH to DS should allow it to rapidly leapfrog to the Ormulum multiverse's pre-eminent magic and give them a huge leg up on climbing Jacob's Ladder, especially with all I'm bringing to the table, such as Wishcraft and Surgecraft adding insane versatility. Imagine every Surgecraft Element becoming a node, allowing everyone to call upon the effects of every Element everyone has ever had or could have, with Legendary and then some.
Now for the Benefits. Admittedly, unlike the magics I can't just grab most of these, so it'll be a much shorter section.
High level Viscerality(particularly with the Lust Ring) should be able to make Silent Springs a thing, particularly with my Domain. Of Marginal value to me, but as a Viscerality application I can hit people with, much better value.
Heroic Destiny should have a buff from Power acting like offensive Rank, and my immense Luck, and I picked it in hopes of obtaining some stuff like the Engine's permissions and/or finding it without having to burn a Least Wish or the like on it. A mean of contacting Bath to arrange her Mantling would likely also be in the cards here.
I'd work to free Kandata as soon as possible, partially just to stick it to Hell, but also because Onus + 2 Curses sounds like some serious insanity. Leycraft and Labyrinth also sound nice.
There And Back Again would be nice as a guarantee, but I'm pretty sure this level of magic is sufficient to bypass the absolute need for it, particularly with Goetic Magic as a baseline. With the temporal instability of the in-between realm, I can likely even ensure that from the perspective of my home universe, I was gone for only a split second.
Artifacts will also be short.
I can get as much Essential Salts as I want pretty much whenever, so that was a pass.
Roderick's Testament was one of the rewards for making all the gods their own planets with more worshippers than Pleroma has people. Grabbing the Voyaging Authority with it's help should be a cinch, considering I've gone all over my home galaxy, gone to the parallel universe of my Wish, plied the Star Ocean of the Galaxia cruise, jumped around alternate timelines, and now been spirited away to a far corner of the Omniverse relative to my own. It should be helpful in dealing with Batrachius if Navinir's revival isn't enough, and helping the dwarves rediscover what's left of Agartha as well. Practice would likely be unlocked via perusal of it's pages.
Now, Horizon isn't normally something I would spring for, but I'll be taking to effort to figure out Nine Swords, and that only works right with a sword, so I might as well have the best sword possible. Presumably, with her permission, obtained via Three Wishes, using Directorate Sorcery to wield a shadow of her sword via the connected rune should be possible. Combining it with Slayer's Solution and the Furthermost Reaches Sword via Demarcation should have quite an interesting end result.
Apheliotes is something I'm just going to grab as I go to give back to Lise.
Lastly, Drawbacks. Likely the shortest section.
Three Wishes isn't that big a deal with +2 ISH on Wishcraft and DS' codifying boosting it further, not to mention over a X2.1 million Progression modifier, which may well accelerate the accumulation of Wishes as that's the way Wishcraft Progresses, meaning a Least Wish every 15 seconds or so. Whatever my baseline is, +2 ISH on a year's worth of it every 15 seconds is going to utterly trivialize anything that isn't healing Bath Kol.
Tremgar offers Litanal runes for DS via his connection to me. I'd probably burn a Least Wish on keeping my power hidden from him until I've used the connection to work them out. He's kind of trivialized by this level of nonsense, so I'd probably just find him when the decade ran out and he tried to Reap me and attempt to sit down for a chat with him before totally murdering him for his Ring.
Now to slightly modify that Gifted One Ineptitude build I made. And by modify I mean explain what changes are made. Star Guardians should still get by okay, as they'll be significantly stronger and more knowledgeable, just like me. It would take some utter nonsense for them to falter in the face of '+2 ISH for all your magic. Yes, all of it.' and general buffs from supremely advanced Viscerality with DS buffs. The codification presumably applies to any Elder Ring powers I obtain, and since it's the original, unmodified Legendary, there's the possibility that Legendary can be stacked for powers that qualify as Magic, as the issue with doing so is normally that the Mental Stability loss is exponential. The Obverse Face does a lot to negate that issue, and my physical, mental, and spiritual durability had been further buffed by the stuff I looted from the Pleroma.
Another +2 ISH to an Essence 9 Solar with Magic is probably more than enough to kick the ass of the Primordials and Unconquered Sun working together. Another *10 to Progression(well, *9.25) and *10 to potential drops Least Wishes to about 1.66 seconds apiece. Combined with Eternal, and I can burn a century of effort on something every 2 seconds with room to spare. Speaking of Eternal, -1 ISH to hostile Magic makes it even more busted. ISH 4.0 effects drop to ISH 2.0, instead of 3.0, provided I'm dealing with Magic, though the Engine might give me options when dealing with Clarketech, particularly with this level of Progression backing me up.
The extra Progression also means I can rapidly learn all Chiron has to teach me. If I was well-suited to advance to at least Mid-Cursebearer before, that's a gross understatement now.
5585 words, discounting this line.
Rihaku
The Internet
The update will be in 1-2 days. It's mostly written already. I'll try to post an extended preview an hour or so out. Maybe immediately for Foremost chat on the Discord.
---
Foremost.
Despite its hubris, it was an appellation well-deserved.
Hunger, for all the inconceivable progression of months past, still found his power wanting in the face of his enemy's Supreme Grace; his perceptions shorn, cut away by his own hand to avoid being beguiled by her visage; even the screaming fall of his sword-stroke - easily sufficient to rend the lower and higher multiverse entire - not quite a match for her agility. Only the supreme martiality worn deep into his blade, like a groove etched on bone, allowed him to maintain some illusion of parity before the blinding radiance of her talent.
She was an adroit foe, Catherine's doppelgänger, this harkening rebel who had stolen her face and presumed to lessen him by it: perhaps the mightiest his present incarnation had ever faced, and the most stubborn. It chafed him to see Catherine's strength turned against him, to witness reflected in the Maiden's every action his wife's dying litany.
Win. That's all that matters.
Her unremitting blitz continued, foot descending from a high-kick to slice downward upon his shoulder blade; abandoning subtlety he rushed forward in a tackle, pre-empting the strike's momentum to intercept it with greater mass. The eviscerating light of his Blood Halo sliced her defenses to tatters; shorn of her veil the Maiden merely blazed infinitely brighter, destroying brilliance that repulsed his influence comprehensively. One-handed he reflected that light with the semi-matte flat of his blade, bleak brutalist steel pushing through the rays of dawn. The glare could not wound him; he had already cut out his eyes.
At blade's approach the Maiden finally drew forth a hammer of gilt iron, matching steel to steel; and though it shattered irreparably upon contact, its dying burst releashed a pulse of hyper-focused Nullity that rendered his blade and fingers both nerveless and unmoving, temporarily made wholly mundane. The firing pattern of ordinary musculature, no matter how optimized, was a subjective eternity at their speeds.
Nonetheless he pressed onward, Verschlengorge upon his shoulders roaring as its Devouring Shroud, unleashed at last, drained away her radiance, a maw spooling light more inescapably than any singularity. Seizing the crucial moment Hunger mustered himself, scraping hollow what felt like the last of his Praxis reserves. His right hand disabled, with explosive quickness he struck with his left: a fulsome uppercut to the solar plexus, conceptual core of her inner light and a primary chakra for findross emission. Bone and organ both broke before his hideous strength; rupturing destruction that coursed outwards to fracture her skeleton into sections.
At last, a telling blow.
---
Foremost.
Despite its hubris, it was an appellation well-deserved.
Hunger, for all the inconceivable progression of months past, still found his power wanting in the face of his enemy's Supreme Grace; his perceptions shorn, cut away by his own hand to avoid being beguiled by her visage; even the screaming fall of his sword-stroke - easily sufficient to rend the lower and higher multiverse entire - not quite a match for her agility. Only the supreme martiality worn deep into his blade, like a groove etched on bone, allowed him to maintain some illusion of parity before the blinding radiance of her talent.
She was an adroit foe, Catherine's doppelgänger, this harkening rebel who had stolen her face and presumed to lessen him by it: perhaps the mightiest his present incarnation had ever faced, and the most stubborn. It chafed him to see Catherine's strength turned against him, to witness reflected in the Maiden's every action his wife's dying litany.
Win. That's all that matters.
Her unremitting blitz continued, foot descending from a high-kick to slice downward upon his shoulder blade; abandoning subtlety he rushed forward in a tackle, pre-empting the strike's momentum to intercept it with greater mass. The eviscerating light of his Blood Halo sliced her defenses to tatters; shorn of her veil the Maiden merely blazed infinitely brighter, destroying brilliance that repulsed his influence comprehensively. One-handed he reflected that light with the semi-matte flat of his blade, bleak brutalist steel pushing through the rays of dawn. The glare could not wound him; he had already cut out his eyes.
At blade's approach the Maiden finally drew forth a hammer of gilt iron, matching steel to steel; and though it shattered irreparably upon contact, its dying burst releashed a pulse of hyper-focused Nullity that rendered his blade and fingers both nerveless and unmoving, temporarily made wholly mundane. The firing pattern of ordinary musculature, no matter how optimized, was a subjective eternity at their speeds.
Nonetheless he pressed onward, Verschlengorge upon his shoulders roaring as its Devouring Shroud, unleashed at last, drained away her radiance, a maw spooling light more inescapably than any singularity. Seizing the crucial moment Hunger mustered himself, scraping hollow what felt like the last of his Praxis reserves. His right hand disabled, with explosive quickness he struck with his left: a fulsome uppercut to the solar plexus, conceptual core of her inner light and a primary chakra for findross emission. Bone and organ both broke before his hideous strength; rupturing destruction that coursed outwards to fracture her skeleton into sections.
At last, a telling blow.
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It's kind of amusing, seeing just how specific and arbitrary the Maiden had to make her developments just to fight Hunger. I'm glad I never tried to suggest playing rope-a-dope with her using Imprisoner, her beauty and hammer would have cracked right through.
- Location
- Europe
I was going to work on this a bit more before posting it, but I won't have much time for writing the next few days, so better now than never.
A Good Turn
This world sliver is wan and pale, trees bleached white, thick clouds of ash as a blizzard in the air. A kaleidoscopic whirl of dimensions churns and grinds away at its edges, a ceaseless roar of color that stains, then breaks away the monochrome. Your fingers burn with pain, rammed knuckle deep into colorless earth, forearm wedged between the roots of the mightiest growth you could find, slick with pallid essentia. Force without measure drags at your corpus, has yanked shoulder from socket and snapped bone with contemptuous ease.
You can do little more than cling to life, to claw and grasp for a moment more. Then you slam on to cracked and desecated soil with a whump of force. There isn't enough in you to scream. You curl up tight among the roots, wedge yourself in deeper, and try to snatch a breath through the washed out remnants of your shirt.
"Now this is unusual." A woman's voice, utterly magnetic, with presence enough to flatten the raging storm of ash with a single rolling wave of force.
Looking up isn't a choice or an effort, it is inevitable, gravitic attraction pulling you in.
A lion – no, a lioness, there's a lioness right in front of you. Pale gold fur fades into creams and browns around the bottom of her muzzle. An Ǝ marks her brow, while eyes of vibrant pink and graphite grey catch you in their orbit, set your thoughts spinning to their steady rhythm.
A paw nearly the size of your head flops onto your face, its pads and fur clean and soft. "None of that, now. This is a restricted area and you are injured. Are there any survivors hidden here, which I cannot detect?"
You remember the earth cracking beneath your feet, light and law bending, universe entire rippling as a leviathan from some deeper stratum turns in its sleep. Flung free, a drop escaping the crest of a wave, you'd been entirely alone.
She huffs, reading the truth from you before memory can manifest response. "Then there is no need to wait."
Putting word to deed she picks you up by the scruff of your neck, teeth somehow gentle against your skin, limbs oddly distant from the ground. "It has been a while since I've carried anyone like this. Unfortunately, the infirmaries no longer function as they should, and they would not recognize you, regardless. We shall make do."
Turn E offers you one (1) utterly free and unasked for favor.
This is a dangerous place, for one as weak as you, but bounteous as well.
If your goal is blood pounding, spine chilling, heart stopping excitement there are no better options.
Rather safe, relaxing tourist satisfaction awaits you here, so long as you can pay with coin.
I would advise against entering in the near future, when an accursed implement roams loose. But there are opportunities that are rare here, no matter where else you look.
For all that danger, and the general lack of amenities, this is still a unique opportunity to examine a giant of this realm.
Discounts cost 1 Favor less.
A prototype, too exuberant for its own good. While the damage done to this dedicated, and laudible armors mind cannot be undone, its remains can be salvaged and remade as a new entity. Moderately more leonine in appearance and temperament, and significantly more aligned with human values because of it, this salvaged prototype armor should not be underestimated.
Capable of interfacing with its host on a deep, fundamental level, it can assist, direct, and manage most magical, biological, and technological systems. It is also, on its own merits, a potent armor, enough to rival Nilfelian peasants in combat.
Magics washed away by the tide, body cut down by the sword, soul cast aside for other powers. The Librarians spirit will fade away and their records with them, unless you intervene. Capable of versatile and potent magics, their soul evocation allowed access to the arsenal of a fairly respectable wizard. Depending on your compatibility with their nature you may experience modest mental influence, perhaps a drive to store and maintain knowledge comparable to a serious and enjoyable hobby.
You can do little more than cling to life, to claw and grasp for a moment more. Then you slam on to cracked and desecated soil with a whump of force. There isn't enough in you to scream. You curl up tight among the roots, wedge yourself in deeper, and try to snatch a breath through the washed out remnants of your shirt.
"Now this is unusual." A woman's voice, utterly magnetic, with presence enough to flatten the raging storm of ash with a single rolling wave of force.
Looking up isn't a choice or an effort, it is inevitable, gravitic attraction pulling you in.
A lion – no, a lioness, there's a lioness right in front of you. Pale gold fur fades into creams and browns around the bottom of her muzzle. An Ǝ marks her brow, while eyes of vibrant pink and graphite grey catch you in their orbit, set your thoughts spinning to their steady rhythm.
A paw nearly the size of your head flops onto your face, its pads and fur clean and soft. "None of that, now. This is a restricted area and you are injured. Are there any survivors hidden here, which I cannot detect?"
You remember the earth cracking beneath your feet, light and law bending, universe entire rippling as a leviathan from some deeper stratum turns in its sleep. Flung free, a drop escaping the crest of a wave, you'd been entirely alone.
She huffs, reading the truth from you before memory can manifest response. "Then there is no need to wait."
Putting word to deed she picks you up by the scruff of your neck, teeth somehow gentle against your skin, limbs oddly distant from the ground. "It has been a while since I've carried anyone like this. Unfortunately, the infirmaries no longer function as they should, and they would not recognize you, regardless. We shall make do."
Turn E offers you one (1) utterly free and unasked for favor.
Attractions
Turn E will transport you to one – by their arcane standards – publicly accessible Attraction of the Voyaging Realm.The Kingdom of Nilfel -
Behind walls of Myth the Kingdom of Nilfel hordes story and gravity like a dragon, its newfound imperial ambitions no less greedy or cunning. The people, however, are rather cosmopolitan and welcoming. Those wealthy enough to gain access will find vistas and amenities a plenty, all in the shadows of rising, smoke ridden industrial revolution.This is a dangerous place, for one as weak as you, but bounteous as well.
The Furthermost Reaches -
Grey scale inversion to the land of Myths, this land of nightmares is thrilling and occult. Every monster and spine tingling tale may be found here, from the slavering wolf to the undying dreamers of cosmic horror. There are riches here as well, if of a twisted, chilling sort. While the common man and beast is not so terrible, the gradient of power spikes sharply and there are few if any safeguards against the true masters of moon and night.If your goal is blood pounding, spine chilling, heart stopping excitement there are no better options.
The Hot Springs of the Elixir Sovereignty -
While of only modest value to you, the Hot Springs and tourist culture of this place can be tremendously enticing. Without the grandiose bombast of Nilfel, or the creeping discomfort of the Reaches, there are few more relaxing and cozy locations – now that the Rotbeast has been slain. There is a mystery here, a purpose for these humble beginnings. Perhaps you may discover the reason why edifying heat rises ever upward in these parts.Rather safe, relaxing tourist satisfaction awaits you here, so long as you can pay with coin.
The Temple of the Moon -
It calls for you and draws you in, for now. That, I suspect, will pass soon, and the civilization within meet its irrevocable remaking. But there is still treasure to be found here, and with it a broad coalition of adventurers and bandits who may soon be leaving, perhaps with a new companion in tow?I would advise against entering in the near future, when an accursed implement roams loose. But there are opportunities that are rare here, no matter where else you look.
The Armament Fish -
In millenia to come this island corpse will feed back into the primordial oceans of this Realm, depths beyond measure reclaiming their creation. For now, and likely for hundreds of years yet, this is an utterly novel opportunity to explore the decaying flesh of a once magnificent creation. Already scavengers of all stripes marshal their ships, cast themselves into currents, and prepare spells of transport – locusts will descend like the tide.For all that danger, and the general lack of amenities, this is still a unique opportunity to examine a giant of this realm.
Lost and Found
Trash and Treasure litter the Voyaging Realm, oceans of riches and artifacts forgotten, discarded, destroyed and abandoned.Discounts cost 1 Favor less.
A Good Armor (2 Favor) -
Discounted with: Elixir SovereigntyA prototype, too exuberant for its own good. While the damage done to this dedicated, and laudible armors mind cannot be undone, its remains can be salvaged and remade as a new entity. Moderately more leonine in appearance and temperament, and significantly more aligned with human values because of it, this salvaged prototype armor should not be underestimated.
Capable of interfacing with its host on a deep, fundamental level, it can assist, direct, and manage most magical, biological, and technological systems. It is also, on its own merits, a potent armor, enough to rival Nilfelian peasants in combat.
[ ] A Librarian's Soul (2 Favor) -
Discounted with: Temple of the MoonMagics washed away by the tide, body cut down by the sword, soul cast aside for other powers. The Librarians spirit will fade away and their records with them, unless you intervene. Capable of versatile and potent magics, their soul evocation allowed access to the arsenal of a fairly respectable wizard. Depending on your compatibility with their nature you may experience modest mental influence, perhaps a drive to store and maintain knowledge comparable to a serious and enjoyable hobby.
[ ] Broken Blue (2 Favors) -
Discounted with: The Armament Fish
Dissolved and discarded, this feeble breath of color has been strained well beyond its limits. A mere threadbare haze of what it once was, still it is not useless. Data is this color's remit, and with it the structuring of experience, examination of foes, and more esoteric functions still. While its use is not intuitive it is rigorous, explicable, and clear.
Brought to the limit and beyond by its destructive overloading a fraction of its source has deepened its abilities and cracked those chains limiting its ascent. You have no level cap, though ascending beyond it is a matter of tremendous, diminishing experience.
More than most this broken and discarded color magic seeks a user to bond with. Do treat it better than the last host, it won't be difficult.
This magic is potent, Wish Craft made manifest, and advances with the expenditure of wealth or potent mythical reagents.
While the breadth of its effects is tremendously broad, each sign may express only one and you would need to become wealthy indeed if you wished to acquire even just a fourth sign. You start with Three.
Know that the highest reaches of this ability can match Armaments, the greatest weapons of this age.
A small cub, of similar coloration to its presumed parent, with big fluffy paws, small sharp chompers, and a diligent, nurturing personality.
Growing quite rapidly in size and intellect, its instinct and nature make it a natural protector and companion. Arrogant as any cat it considers itself your guard, placing you first among its charges, a position that cannot be changed. It does, however, also enjoy playing with and guarding children, and will seek out such opportunities when not lazing about or otherwise engaged.
Its supernatural attributes grow slowly on their own. However, they surge to match yours, making them, at least, a capable protector against foes of your rough ability.
Be aware, Foremost facilities do not reliably recognize humans as authorized entrants and their defenses, artifacts, and random trash can be lethal even to the prepared and capable.
If you put in, roughly, 14,600 hours of dedicated, serious restoration effort, Turn E will accept that you tried your best and consider this commitment met.
If you commit to caring and providing for ǝ then Turn E will allow you to take the cub with you.
Words ≈1650
Dissolved and discarded, this feeble breath of color has been strained well beyond its limits. A mere threadbare haze of what it once was, still it is not useless. Data is this color's remit, and with it the structuring of experience, examination of foes, and more esoteric functions still. While its use is not intuitive it is rigorous, explicable, and clear.
Brought to the limit and beyond by its destructive overloading a fraction of its source has deepened its abilities and cracked those chains limiting its ascent. You have no level cap, though ascending beyond it is a matter of tremendous, diminishing experience.
More than most this broken and discarded color magic seeks a user to bond with. Do treat it better than the last host, it won't be difficult.
[ ] Three Signs (3 Favors) -
Discounted with: NilfelThis magic is potent, Wish Craft made manifest, and advances with the expenditure of wealth or potent mythical reagents.
While the breadth of its effects is tremendously broad, each sign may express only one and you would need to become wealthy indeed if you wished to acquire even just a fourth sign. You start with Three.
Know that the highest reaches of this ability can match Armaments, the greatest weapons of this age.
[ ] ǝ (0 Favor) -
Requires: Serious ResponsibilityA small cub, of similar coloration to its presumed parent, with big fluffy paws, small sharp chompers, and a diligent, nurturing personality.
Growing quite rapidly in size and intellect, its instinct and nature make it a natural protector and companion. Arrogant as any cat it considers itself your guard, placing you first among its charges, a position that cannot be changed. It does, however, also enjoy playing with and guarding children, and will seek out such opportunities when not lazing about or otherwise engaged.
Its supernatural attributes grow slowly on their own. However, they surge to match yours, making them, at least, a capable protector against foes of your rough ability.
Favors
One good turn deserves another. Ǝ would appreciate if you resolved any number of these tasks, but would be willing to provide you with assistance if you commit yourself to some here and now.[ ] A Facility Restored (+1 Favor)
This Realm is a shadow of what once was, littered with the decaying remains of ages gone by. Turn E will provide you with directions to a facility near to your chosen Attraction. You are to attempt to restore it to at least minimal functionality.Be aware, Foremost facilities do not reliably recognize humans as authorized entrants and their defenses, artifacts, and random trash can be lethal even to the prepared and capable.
If you put in, roughly, 14,600 hours of dedicated, serious restoration effort, Turn E will accept that you tried your best and consider this commitment met.
[ ] Serious Responsibility (+1 Favor) -
Requires: One Other FavorIf you commit to caring and providing for ǝ then Turn E will allow you to take the cub with you.
Words ≈1650
Rihaku
The Internet
Formidable!
Therefore:
[X] Elixir Sovereignty
[X] A Good Armor
[X] Broken Blue
[X] ǝ
[X] A Facility Restored
[X] Serious Responsibility
- Location
- Louisiana
Did someone say page gang? I have been summoned.
- Location
- Europe
What the armor did with Mizuku was pretty nuts! And that's just what we got see.
You have my axe post!
On a more serious note, I'm going to have to reread this to refresh my memory of exactly what was going on.
On a more serious note, I'm going to have to reread this to refresh my memory of exactly what was going on.
- Location
- Pindorama
Guh, just when this had vanished from my mind...
I'm pretty sure I still owe @Orm Embar 1k words lol
I'm pretty sure I still owe @Orm Embar 1k words lol
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
That there is one, primarily. Maybe something a little bit less outrageous? Hard to top the likes of Hunger, after all.
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
I'm still really interested in the isekai idea that Rihaku showed off at the end of EFB. I also wouldn't mind the runback on EFB either, since I remember that was another possibility that was floated.
Anything that holds Rihaku's own interest is good with me, though.
Anything that holds Rihaku's own interest is good with me, though.
- Location
- Pindorama
What's the latest fad among nerds these days? Mostly it just seems the same stuff.
Failing that return to Terrascape pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
Failing that return to Terrascape pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
- Location
- Europe
It probably wouldn't make a good quest, but I'd want to be an explorer/archeologist in the Voyaging Realms. Really explore the different places, factions, and polities.
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
why would you need to return?
brother, don't you know?
there is no escape from the Terrascape
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